Beacon Coalition, a 501(c)(4), and our affiliated group, Beacon Coalition Political Act Fund, operate to protect the rights and wellbeing of Jews in the United States. Beacon Coalition engages in education and advocacy centered on the stances of current and prospective political leaders on combatting antisemitism and maintaining a strong, pluralistic democracy. Our PAC empowers candidates whose documented words and actions reflect shared values. Collectively, we strive to reverse the increasing normalization of anti-Jewish, anti-pluralist, and anti-democratic attitudes in the American political landscape.
Beacon Coalition
Beacon Coalition vets candidates for political office in three areas: combatting antisemitism, upholding democracy, and championing pluralism.
Our approach to combatting antisemitism centers on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism adopted by the United States and more than 40 other countries. The IHRA definition includes numerous examples that create a solid framework for us to identify the harm in candidates’ words when they justify or encourage violence against Jews or deny the right of the State of Israel to exist. (This guidance does not forbid criticism of the State of Israel and does not preclude membership in any political party.)
We add democracy and pluralism to the areas by which we vet candidates because both are key American values crucial to the ability of Jews to live and thrive in this country. Candidates who support a robust democracy encourage trust in representative government and the integrity of elections. Candidates committed to pluralism value the diversity of backgrounds and beliefs that makeup the fabric of American society.
Our candidate evaluations are evidence-based: We uncover and document candidates’ words and actions, and when we interpret their positions as harmful, we share our reasoning. In this way, Beacon Coalition helps voters confidently decide which political candidates to support.
Beyond vetting candidates, Beacon Coalition conducts education and advocacy efforts to empower Jews and allies to understand and organize around these issues. We will work to improve voter access and education, strengthen cross-community engagement, hold politicians accountable for their treatment of Jewish constituents, and address legislation that impacts Jewish wellbeing. Beacon Coalition serves as a repository for the kind of information Jewish voters and their allies need.
Beacon Coalition Political Act Fund
Our affiliated PAC enables us to amplify the voices of our Jewish American community by providing material support for candidates in key races who receive a favorable rating in Beacon Coalition’s evaluation. To start, these contributions will be focused on the municipal and state-wide elections in Pennsylvania where our recommendations and contributions are likely to have the greatest impact.
The time for an organization like ours is overdue. The American Jewish community has long needed an independent voice to provide oversight on elections and issues that directly affect our wellbeing. Although our work addresses the political system, we are not beholden to any government or party, only to the Jewish American community. We deserve politicians who treat our wellbeing as seriously as they do the wellbeing of all their constituents.
To our non-Jewish neighbors, who may be skeptical of the need for our organization: Antisemitism has often been the canary in the coalmine of a failing political system. When we normalize hatred and violence against one group, we sanction the use of hatred and violence against all groups. In a time when American democracy is already weakened, we call out with urgency that antisemitism corrupts democracy. For all our sakes, we ask you to incorporate mainstream Jewish voices amongst all the voices of minority communities that make up the fabric of American society.